The present invention relates generally to the production of bent glass sheets and, more particularly, to an improved apparatus for bending specifically configured glass sheets.
Bent sheets of glass are commonly used as glazing closures in vehicles such as automobiles and the like. It is often desirable to shape or form the glass in a manner to carry out styling features found in the adjacent sheet metal components in order to create the appearance of unity between the glass and the sheet metal. For example, certain automotive backlights have inturned side portions extending into the side surfaces of the vehicle and into the roof line of the vehicle as well as the deck lid, respectively. The press bending apparatus of the type required to achieve such shapes typically employs a structure wherein the female member of the mold set is in the form of a ring having a portion thereof segmented to permit passage of the ring upwardly through an associated array of conveying rolls during the bending operation as illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,746 entitled "Method of and Apparatus for Bending Glass Sheets", Floyd T. Hagedorn et al, issued Dec. 15, 1981. In certain instances, the discontinuities in the female ring has caused slight ripple effects in the edges of the glass sheet being formed.
An improved method and apparatus for bending glass sheets is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,386 entitled "Method of and Apparatus for Bending Glass Sheets", Frank J. Hymore et al, issued Jan. 29, 1985. The apparatus includes a press member of outline or ring-type construction having an array of spaced apart shaping rail elements mounted in a composite array and adapted to pass upwardly between adjacent conveying rolls to contact and support the undersurface of a sheet of heat-softened glass. Another array of shaping rail extensions is disposed above the conveying rolls mounted for movement into and out of association with the spaces between the spaced apart shaping rail elements of the first mentioned array.